


The Heiress

by TheRedPoet



Category: RWBY
Genre: Everybody betray me, F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-05-16 10:11:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5824570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedPoet/pseuds/TheRedPoet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the RWBY team visits the Schnee company headquarters prior to the tournament, dark secrets are revealed. Ruby realizes that not everything is what it seems, and that Ozpin keeps a dark secret from the people of Vale. Grey!Ruby, NotEvil!Ruby, Smart!Ruby, Powerful!Ruby, Harem, Manipulative!Ozpin bashing, Misunderstood!Cinder, Good!Torchwick. Don't like, don't read.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Capítulo el Uno: La Señora del Valle

**Author's Note:**

> The Study Proudly Presents: “The Heiress” - A RWBY AU  
> Writers: Zeelthor, VereorNox, Halt, NuScorpii and basium1  
> Special thanks to: apoc, ChaosGuy, BTT, Zel, HazeOfMisery, Palindrome (<3 robot) and did we mention apoc? Honestly, without apoc this wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you @apoc. <3 apoc.

Ruby woke up to the sound of music, her head on her sister’s stomach while lying on the same bed in the luxury room of the Schnee Company Airship that would bring them to its headquarters. It had been rather sudden, but Weiss had mentioned that her father insisted she bring her team with her, and Yang didn’t take two seconds to agree after hearing there would be free food. Blake, meanwhile, was nervously sitting nearby, reading a book, the bow on her head twitching slightly as her cat-ears were obviously moving left and right.

She couldn’t immediately spy the source of the music, and realizing that it must be coming from outside the room, she stood up, yawning. Opening the door to the hall of the ship, she padded along cool stone floors on her bare feet, down towards a half-open door.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she leaned into the opening, spotting Weiss. Her pale-haired teammate was playing on a violin, a song of the deepest, most heart-wrenching sorrow pouring from her slender fingers.

When she noticed that Ruby was watching, however, she stopped, putting the violin away quickly, her face red.

“I didn’t know you could play an instrument!” Ruby said. “That was awesome!”

“It’s nothing but what can be expected of a Lady of the Schnee family,” Weiss said, harumphing loudly, though she sounded a bit happier at the praise than Ruby would have expected. “What are you doing awake this early?”

“You kinda woke me up.” Ruby grinned. “But that’s okay! We should be there soon anyway, right?”

“Yes, I’d have woken you up in half an hour, irregardless,” Weiss confirmed. “Should we get the others?”

“Blake is awake already. I don’t get why she agreed to join the trip when she really doesn’t want to meet Mr. Schnee.”

“She likes the team more than she dislikes my family, I suspect.” Weiss sighed. “We worked past our differences, but I don’t think she’ll ever like what Schnee Corporation does.” 

“You don’t really sound like you get along with your dad either,” Ruby said. 

Weiss winced.

“What about your sister?”

“She’s… I can’t keep up with her,” Weiss admitted. “Doesn’t really matter what I do. It won’t be enough.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Ruby said, walking up to her... “He’s your dad, even if he doesn’t show it, he must love you.”

Ruby spread out her arms, making Weiss take a few steps back.

“No hugs.”

“Yes hugs!”

“Ruby no-” the protest came a bit too late, it seems, and Ruby immediately glomped Weiss in a bear hug, lifting and squeezing the girl in a display of Herculean strength that came from using a heavy sniper-scythe as a weapon for such a long time.

As she hugged the Ice Queen of Beacon, Ruby couldn’t help but think back to the message that had prompted this trip to Atlas. 

She was in her room while her team was sleeping, dealing with the sugar high of eating too many sweets before bed and saw Weiss’ scroll glow. It’s not like she was curious or anything, but looking for a distraction, she saw the topic on the screen.

Ruby Rose.

Too interested to ignore it at that point, she immediately talked to Weiss the next morning, and the ice queen reluctantly read the message aloud, prompting Ruby to suggest a trip there, accepting the invitation of the Schnee CEO. Blake has been a bit more reluctant, but Yang didn’t take very long to convince her otherwise.

“Air!” wheezed Weiss. “Need. Air! Breathe!”

“Ooops,” Ruby said sheepishly, letting go of the Schnee Heiress and rubbing the back of her neck. “Sorry ‘bout that, Weiss.” 

Weiss panted, sputtering and coughing, like someone stranded in a desert drinking from a newly found oasis.

“Ruby, look!” Yang squealed, smushing her face against a window. Outside, they could see the peak of a mountain coming into view, its grey jagged tip piercing the clouds, reaching for the very heavens itself in a kind of defiance. 

Mount Drome.

“The mountain was hollowed out so they could build the Schnee Winter Palace,” Blake said. “I read about it in Remnant: A History.” 

The airship eventually landed inside the mountain, entering through a side entrance that looked too smooth to be anything but man-made and laboriously cut and polished over what must have been years, if not decades. The door opened and Weiss took the lead, stepping out with a small jump towards the white marble floor.

What greeted her team was an army of maids, dressed in white uniforms. They stood in two lines to their left and right, bowing as Weiss stepped forward with her teammates.

“Is that your father’s harem?” Yang whispered to Weiss. Weiss glared at her.

Yang turned to Blake. “I bet you a hundred Lien they’re his harem.” 

“That’s a sucker’s bet,” Blake said.

“Welcome home, Miss Schnee,” they chorused. Yang was smiling, looking around, while Blake was nervously fidgeting behind them, looking every bit as uncomfortable as she did in the airship.

“This is so awesome,” Yang said. “You have maids, do they make your breakfast and carry it up to your room? What about butlers?”

“Yes… and no, no butlers here. Father eventually replaced all of them with maids because he thinks that Winter joined the Military because of a crush on a guy,” Weiss said. 

Yang whistled. “Really? That’s… kinda strange.”

“Tell me about it,” Weiss sighed. “It’s one of the reasons I went to Beacon instead of going to school here. He can’t have the maids joining Beacon with his influence compared to the schools in Atlas.”

“So they’re like ninjas?” Ruby asked. “Follow behind you, protect you from everyone?”

“Jaune would be so dead.” Yang laughed. Weiss actually giggled, remembering the boy’s futile attempts at flirting and imagining him being chased off by one of the maids.

“If anything goes wrong,” Blake whispered to Yang. “I’m blaming you.”

“Sure, sure, I’m sure everything is fine. It’s not like they have a databank of Faunus here to check on members who might’ve been White Fang,” Yang said, smiling. Weiss coughed slightly. “Right?”

“Riiight,” Weiss said slowly. “If it matters, I won’t let him do anything to you.”

“Not exactly giving me any confidence here, Weiss,” Blake said. “This is enemy territory.”

“Only because you treat it as enemy territory,” Weiss said. “This is my home, Blake. Please, relax, I promise nothing will happen.”

Blake relaxed slowly, falling behind Weiss, using the smaller girl as a shield from the prying eyes of the maids, hoping her bow would be enough to hide her ears.

They eventually ended up next to a large, thirty-feet statue of a Nevermore, carved out of almost luminescent marble.

Their eyes were drawn to it as they walked down the large hall, towards the stairs that Weiss led them towards. The army of maids were still in line up until the stairs. 

“You know,” Yang began, peering at one of the maids. “Those girls look like they have the same face over and over again, now that I take a closer look.”

“That’s because they do,” Weiss sighed. “It’s… actually just a really impressive use of their Semblance. It’s the Maid Quadruplets’ semblance.”

“You mean those four are just the same maid over and over again?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure they aren’t your father’s harem?”

“Shut up, Yang.”

The blonde waggled her eyebrows and winked at one of the maids before turning back to Weiss.

“So does that mean they’re single?”

Weiss gave her the patented Glare of Doom. “If I murder you right here and now, they will help me clean up the blood.”

Yang held up her hands, though she couldn’t wipe the smug grin off her face.

“Yeah sis!” Ruby chimed. “If you don’t behave, they’ll spank you.” 

“See what you’re teaching her?” Weiss groaned and Yang’s grin, if it was even possible, grew even more smug.

“Is that right?” She leaned in closer. “Kinky. I’m willing to give it a try, if you are, Weiss-y.”

She growled. “Ninja-murder maids. I pay them.”

Yang pouted. “Don’t be jealous you won’t be doing the spanking, Weiss-y. I promise to be naughty just for you.” 

“Ugh!” Weiss threw her hands up, storming off. 

Ruby stopped for a moment - the maids waiting behind her patiently - taking in the sight of the marvelous statue while her team kept walking, reaching the stairs after a bit. A twitch, ever so slightly, and Ruby tilted her head.

The Nevermore’s head moved. Ruby was sure of it. She took a step to the left. The eyes of the Nevermore moved. To the left. It moved with her.

“Weiiiss?” Ruby began, making her team stop and turn around, quite a distance away. “The Nevermore’s eyes are following me.”

The team looked up to the statue, and the Nevermore’s eyes were blankly staring ahead, just like they were when they entered the hall.

“It’s… my father’s. He made it. It keeps invaders out.” Weiss said.

“”What are you talking about?” Yang asked. “I mean, it looks pretty real, but there aren’t any white Grimm that I know of.”

Weiss pursed her lips, turning around on her heels. “Come, Ruby. Best not to keep father waiting.”

The stairs led up to yet another door. A gate, almost, huge and adorned with white snowflakes that glowed ethereal, ambient light as the white dust coursed through it and created a gentle chill. Weiss lifted her hand and a glyph sprang forth from her fingers.

The door hummed in response, opening inwards to grant them passage. 

And the first thing that they noticed as a huge painting of a fat lady hanging on the wall. Yang broke out in laughter.

“Who’s that?” Blake asked, her shoulders shaking. She looked almost like she would just fall over and keep laughing on the floor like Yang already had. The blonde girl was pounding floor so hard that Ruby worried she might leave cracks upon the surface.

“That’s my grandmother,” Weiss said, poking Yang’s side with her foot. “Stop destroying my home.”

“You inherited her fine bone structure,” Yang wheezed.

Weiss ground her teeth together but said nothing.

With the sound of a bell, their attention was drawn from the voluminous painting towards a woman sitting behind a large polished oak desk with a slab of the same smooth marble that the door had been hewn from.

Ruby had a sneaky feeling that the Schnee family liked the color white. The woman behind the desk, however, was dressed in a dark suit that fit her really well. And for the first time since they’d arrived, team RWBY received a smile.

Ruby couldn’t help but smile back, waving towards the woman that was a considerable distance away.

“What is this room?” Ruby asked.

“It’s the secretary’s room, and that door is to my father’s office,” Weiss said.

“Is… are you serious?” Yang asked, still chuckling slightly. “This room is larger than an entire dorm floor at Beacon!”

Blake’s face actually twitched, Ruby noticed. She wasn’t sure if it was trick of light, or if Blake’s eyes actually narrowed a fraction. Deciding not to mention it, Ruby moved up to the desk with her team.

“Hi!” Ruby greeted the woman. She smiled again, and Ruby noticed a plate of cookies on the table. Her glance wasn’t exactly subtle, and the secretary didn’t even say a word, pushing the plate forward. Squeeing at the gesture, Ruby picked up the entire plate and began munching on the cookies.

The secretary’s eyes widened slightly before she shrugged, pressing a button and opening the door.

“Hey,” Yang said as the door opened. “How can the secretary enter without the glyphs you use, Weiss?”

“Confidential,” Weiss said without even looking her way.

“Come on, we’re teammates, aren’t we?” Yang tried. “We’re giving each other support in life and death situations, what’s a little something like this?” she continued, pinching a small pocket of air with her index and thumb, as if to show how miniscule such matters were among those who’d fought the grimm together.

The room’s temperature immediately dropped as they entered the office, making everyone but Weiss shiver.

“Hello,” said a man’s voice, smooth and cultured. “I am Arctis Schnee.”

The words were accented with a rather loud bang as the door behind them shut, making Blake and Ruby jump. Yang’s eyes meanwhile were drawn towards the middle of the room, where a middle-aged white haired man sat, his face hard as stone. Ruby glanced sideways and noticed that Blake’s eyes were not drawn to the arguably attractive man’s face like Yang’s, but to his hands. They were laid out on the desk, looking strong and as though scarred from manual labor.

For someone who was so rich, whose entire life was built on the fortune of others and who Blake had told her extorted the Faunus… those weren’t the hands Ruby had expected to see. Even Weiss’ hands were a lot softer than that, and she fought the Grimm with them. Well, not with them, she used Myrtenaster for that, which was a totally awesome sword and Ruby just knew she could make it even better if Weiss would just let her have a look, but she never did.

“Come, sit.”

There were four chairs in front of the desk, similar in size to the secretary’s. A monitor was on the screen, and a phone. Besides that, the office looked actually rather simple, with plants adorning the walls and a huge window behind him showing off the beautiful snowy landscape. In the distance, far but still visible, were cities, villages and what Ruby assumed to be the Atlas school, though she only had her father’s description to go by.

They sat down in front of him, the atmosphere in the room pressing down on them. Weiss did not say a word to greet her father.

“Do you know why you were invited here, Ms. Rose?” Mr. Schnee asked as Ruby put down the plate of cookies she stole off the secretary’s desk. Mmm. Delicious, wondrous, chocolate chip cookies. Despite his hospitality, the man’s voice had the hard, jagged edge of an iceberg to it.

“Because I’m with Weiss?” she asked. “I mean, that’s why you wanted to see all of us, right? Meet the team your daughter is on.”

Mr. Schnee’s voice softened slightly. “Yes and no.” 

Ruby furrowed her brows, tilting her head as Mr. Schnee tapped on the table twice, making a small vial with two pills come up. “Take one of these first, please.”

“Whoa whoa, no, hey, what are you trying to sell to my sister?” Yang asked. “I saw a movie like this once.”

“Can I take both?” Ruby asked, interrupting her sister.

Mr. Schnee shrugged. “Well, we haven’t tested them together, but I don’t see what could possibly go wrong if-” 

“Yay!” Ruby said, snatching the vials and swallowing them by downing both at the same time.

Mr. Schnee stared at her. 

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked. “Any strange sensations? Numbness in the toes? No?” 

“Nope,” Ruby said, popping the ‘p’. She frowned, looking down at the now empty vials. “Doesn’t taste like anything really.”

Mr. Schnee clapped his hands, looking positively delighted. “Excellent. We can proceed with the Tests.” 

“Tests?” Ruby looked at him suspiciously. “There’s not going to be any math in it, right?” 

“No math. Those things you drank just now were special supplements,” Mr. Schnee said. “All we need is a few drops of your blood on this, and blood loss can be a serious issue, so they’ll keep you healthy.” He held out a piece of yellowing paper. 

It was just a few drops, Ruby thought. But the man was apparently worried enough. Looking at her sister, Yang shrugged, still staring suspiciously at the man.

“Oh. Alright then! You’re really not that bad of a guy, Mr. Schnee,” Ruby said, bringing out her Crescent Rose. She extended it to its full size, bringing the tip over her index finger and nicking it.

Mr. Schnee raised his eyebrows as he watched two drops of blood fall on the paper. “Please, call me Arctis.”

“Now what?” Ruby asked.

Arctis didn’t reply, instead holding out the paper to her. She plucked it from him and peered at it. Then she turned it upside down. 

“There should be a button for you to press,” Arctis said. 

“It’s not working,” Ruby complained, poking at it repeatedly.

“It would seem not,” he said. He looked around and spotted a small circular disk, picked it up and read aloud from the label on the bottom. “Blood sample.”

“My apologies, Ms. Rose. Apparently, the blood needs to go here.” He pointed at the disk.

“Good thing my finger hasn’t stopped bleeding,” Ruby said, pressing the nicked finger against the the disk.” 

“Indeed,” Arctis said. 

Ruby pressed the button and the disk sputtered and spun, rising shakily into the air. “My blood can turn things into UFOs? Best. Semblance. Ever!” 

The disk turned red, then white; black then yellow before projecting holographic words into the air above it. 

“Cooool!” 

“Very,” Arctis agreed, bobbing his head. “Min-yon, text-to-speech please.” 

“Of course, Arctis,” a feminine voice came from the disk. “Analyzing blood sample. Estimated time to completion: five minutes.”

Arctis rubbed his hands together. “Excellent!”

“Recalculating. Estimated time to completion: thirteen hours and-”

“Son of a b-!” he cut himself off, staring at his guests. Weiss actually looked surprised at the rather emotional outburst.

“Frustration detected. Activating factoid mode. Did you know that one of the Faunus tribe leaders has been executed by her clan due to adultery? Despite being a Wolf Faunus, she gave birth to a triplet of Cat Faunus, leading to what is known as the first war among the-”

“Min-yon, mute,” Arctis said, glaring at it. It flashed once to confirm it had received his orders. 

“The first war among the Faunus clans which eventually led to a unification of all Faunus under the banner of the Faunus’ name due to the two biggest clans signing a peace treaty,” Blake finished the sentence. Everyone stared at her, making her look at the ceiling, crossing her arms. “I read it in Remnant: A History.”

“It kinda sucks that every important peace treaty came after a war that killed a lot of people,” Yang said.

“That is true,” Arctis said, drawing their attention. Blake in particular snapped her eyes towards him.

“Isn’t the Schnee company working with the Atlas Military?” Blake asked.

“Due to a contract signed by the first CEO, my father,” he nodded. “Admittedly, I have tried to slowly move away from the weapon manufacturing business, but the contract is supposed to go for two more years or until my heir takes my spot, whichever comes first.”

“So… Weiss?” Ruby asked. “Because you didn’t like that her sister joined the milita-”

Weiss put a hand over Ruby’s mouth, stopping her from talking. The younger girl didn’t like that, though, and started to lick Weiss’ hand, making the white-haired girl shudder in disgust and remove her hand from Ruby’s face.

“Yes,” he nodded. “I wanted to have her inherit me, but she eventually decided to join the military. I don’t know what encouraged her…”

Ruby is reminded of Weiss’ factoid that he thinks it might’ve been a guy.

“But I couldn’t have her both be a member of the military and the CEO of a company that I want to take out of the weapon business, you understand.”

Blake nodded, as did Yang, while Ruby just ate a cookie to get the taste of Weiss’ hand out of her mouth and Weiss was wiping her hand on Ruby’s clothes.

With a loud snap, Min-Yon ended up folding itself, making them all jump.

“Min-Yon, enable sound.”

“Factoid number twenty-one, the last known Faunus queen is rumored to have given birth to a daughter before she vanished, though this has not been confirmed, the Faunus believe that-”

“Stop.”

Min-Yon did.

“The Faunus believe that the queen’s descendants might actually still be alive somewhere and wait for her return.”

Blake drew the stares towards her again.

“What? I read that in-”

“Remnant: A History?” her team asked.

“No, Faunus Facts 101. It’s 101 facts about Faunus and-”

“Scan complete,” Min-Yon interrupted her, and Arctis made a small sound of triumph as the disk slowly floated towards the table.

“Min-Yon, report.”

“The DNA has been scanned successfully and compared to all known samples in the Schnee databank. One critical error has occurred.”

“Critical error?” Arctis asked.

“It appears that the blood is tainted by what is known as an Soul seal, usually used to seal the Aura of prisoners. The seal is either incomplete, or the Aura’s strength is significant enough that the seal still allows a reasonable amount of Aura to escape, allowing for the use of Semblance.”

Yang stared at the paper, blankly. Ruby was still eating the incredibly large plate of cookies was only half-listening.

Blake and Weiss, however, were apparently a bit more aware of what was going on, staring wide-eyed at the disk, gasping.

“Isn’t that… how? Why?” Weiss asked. “Isn’t that lethal when applied to childr-”

Yang levelled a fiery look upon Arctis. “LETHAL?!”

The temperature in the room was actually far below zero now, so much that Ruby bit down on a cookie and hurt herself at the stiff baked goods. “Liffal?” she got out, nursing her teeth.

The older man held out both hands, palms forward.

“I had nothing to do with this and if the effects would have been lethal, the girl would have died years ago.”

“Died?” Ruby asked. Her voice might have been shrill. Judging by Blake’s wince, she upgraded the ‘might’ to a ‘probably’. “Okay, that sounds bad. Why?”

Arctis Schnee scratched at his smooth-shaven cheek.

“That is the question, is it not?” He said. “Somebody has tampered with your soul, Miss Rose.”

“Since you’re telling us all of this I’m going to assume it wasn’t you.” Yang growled. “Who did it?”

Arctis shrugged and made it look elegant, almost regal. Weiss had clearly learned that from him.

“Difficult to say,” he murmured thoughtfully. “The pool of suspects with the know-how is relatively small.”

“Um… can we get rid of it?” Ruby looked around at them. “There must be some way to remove the seal, right? Right?”

“There is one way to do it, but I must warn you: It could be dangerous.”

“What is it?” Ruby jumped up, eyes wide and stance ready. “Tell me, tell me, what is it? Do I have to fight the grimm?”

“Not quite,” Artcis said. “The only known method of setting free an aura bound as extensively as yours is a True Love’s Kiss.”

His eyes rested on Ruby for a moment and then, rather pointedly, moved over to Weiss. Ruby felt her cheeks heat up.

“Min-Yon,” Weiss said crisply. “Is this true?”

“It is,” the female voice replied smoothly.

Weiss looked decidedly uncomfortable, Ruby thought. It was kinda cute.

“This is not a good idea,” the Schnee heiress muttered.

Yang bristled. “Hey. Are you saying you’re too good to kiss my sister or something, cos I’ll have you know that she’s perfectly kissable.”

Every single person in the room turned wide-eyed looks to Yang.

“Uh. That came out a bit differently than I meant it.”

“So…” Ruby said, judiciously ignoring and repressing what Yang had just said. “Weiss-y and I have to smooch?”

“Essentially, yes,” Arctis said.

Ruby walked over to Weiss, whose hand rose automatically to stop her. 

“Keep your hands off of me,” Weiss growled.

Ruby frowned. “Uh, you’re not supposed to kiss with your hands...are you?” She cast a sideways glance at Yang who shook her head. 

“A kiss is generally the interlocking of one human mouth to another,” Min-Yon supplied. “Variations include the usage of tongue, and performing the activity to different parts of the body as in the case of cunni-”

Yang hastily covered her sister’s ears and began to hum loudly, drowning out the voice. 

Ruby watched with fascination as Weiss’ cheeks grew redder than she’d ever seen. By the time Yang let her hands drop, Blake was rocking on the floor, hugging her knees, muttering something about ninjas.

“Fine,” Weiss said, watching the unfolding pandemonium in her father’s office. “Fine. If this is what I have to do to keep you safe, so be it.”

She crossed the distance between them in a couple of long strides, heels clacking on the polished marble floors and swooped down on the startled Ruby. She pressed her lips - her sweet, soft lips to Ruby’s and held there for a relative eternity in a chaste kiss.

“Boo!” Yang heckled. “Do it properly, Weiss-icle or I’m gonna have to show you how it’s done.”

Ruby saw Weiss’ eyes widen in terror and then the girl lunged at her, grabbing her by the shoulders. “Say something, Ruby!”

“Somethi-” 

Weiss’s hands moved to Ruby’s face, before she silenced her with a good deal of tongue. It took Ruby a moment before she caught on and swiped her own tongue out, meeting something cold and sweet, almost like an ice-lolly.

A soft moan escaped the seal of their lips and Ruby felt Weiss press closer.

“There!” Weiss said, using her sleeve to wipe her mouth. “Happy?” 

“So… Did it w-?” Yang got cut off and fell backward onto her butt as a blinding explosion of red light, sending shockwaves through the room. Windows shattered, furniture scattered, even the heavy double doors rattled violently - and for the briefest moment, they might have broken. Despite the hole in the wall now, there was no cold wind anymore, only warmth, and from the warmth, there was fire.

Yang snuck a glance at her sister, the origin of the light, and pulled an arm over her eyes quickly to avoid going blind.

Ruby, meanwhile, was feeling just great. Taking a deep breath, she could feel everything around her: the warmth of her team, the people inside the mansion. And from these feelings, there was change.

She felt her hair grow, and noticed it changing color from the corner of her eyes as it fluttered around her, the dark red tint that fit her name even more than her usually red clothes.

When the high finally wore off, she landed with her feet on the ground, feeling light. Though something was heavier.

Yang stared at her, making motions with her hand and Ruby bent down, helping her sister up as Blake and Weiss managed to get themselves on their feet.

Yang stood actually a little bit smaller than Ruby now.

“What… who… who are you?” Yang asked.

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked in return, before stopping. Something was strange. “Is there someone else? Wait, is… that me?”

The voice was unfamiliar, and Ruby tried again, melodious sounds coming out of her throat to test out her new voice.

“I guess that settles it,” Arctis said, standing behind the desk. “There is no doubt about who you really are anymore.”

“Who she really is?” Weiss asked. Blake’s eyes widened, and the Cat Faunus immediately reacted to her sight, going to her knees. “Blake?”

“Indeed, the second-born daughter of the Rose house,” Arctis nodded. “And last known member of the Phoenix Faunus’ clan, heir to the royal bloodline. And, if the inheritance test didn’t lie… Min-Yon.”

“The last known kin of Queen Ivory la Rosa of Vale, heir to the throne of Vale, Ruby Rose, second daughter of the lost princess.”

“Wait, second-born?” Yang asked, apparently completely missing the rest of the message.

“The first-born daughter has been lost,” Arctis said. “Presumed dead, actually.”

“I… have another sister?” Ruby asked. “And she’s gone too?”

“I’m afraid I can’t confirm nor deny that, but everything points towards it…”

“Wait wait, royal blood?” Weiss interrupted. “You’re a princess?”

“I am? I mean daddy always calls me one but I don’t know~” Ruby said happily. “Does that mean I get a crown? I always wanted a crown. Uh… Blake?”

“Yes, princess?” Blake asked.

“Can… you not do that?”

“I’m obligated to-”

“Blake, stand up, please,” Ruby said. Blake did. “You just did that because I told you to, didn’t I?”

“If it is an order-”

“Yang, make her stop.”

“That’s all on you, princess,” Yang teased, grinning at her sister. Ruby made a small sound, between a sigh and a wail, and turned to Arctis. The man was watching the situation with a glint in his eye, almost as if he was working wonders at hiding his laughter.

“Long Live the Queen,” he said, definitely not smiling. Schnee’s didn’t actually smile. It was just a trick of the light.


	2. Kapitel två

“Sorry about the mess, Mr. Schnee,” Ruby said, looking at the broken... Everything

“It’s not a problem,” Arctis said. “Min-Yon, fix.” 

“Beep Beep Boop,” Min-Yon said. “Downloading into Atlasbots. Complete. Beginning-”

“Min-Yon, shut up.” 

Min-yon complied. A part of the wall slid open and out walked several gynoids, going about fixing the doors, righting the furniture and even installing new glass on the windows. 

“Does this happen a lot?” Yang asked. “You seem awfully prepared.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that statement,” Arctis said. “Min-Yon, when you’re done, release control of Atlasbots and return to the disk.”

An Atlasbot stopped in front of Arctis and blinked twice, before returning to work.

“Oh god, they’re spreading,” Blake murmured. 

As Min-Yon got to work, Yang turned to her sister. “You’re bigger than me now,” she said. “Like way bigger.” 

Ruby looked herself over. “It does feel great to be tall.”

She bounced up and down on her toes a few times, watching the effect it had on her newly acquired curves with interest. Weiss looked like she might be having an aneurism. 

Then suddenly, the door flew open with a bang. Ruby looked up to see what she’d only describe as the smoothest pimp-daddy ever to walk the streets. The remarkably well-dressed man strutted forward, twirling the cane in one hand deftly. A diminutive girl with a curious brown and pink hair-do held on to his arm.

“Evening, Ladies. Red,” the orange-haired guy said, bowing a little as he removed his snazzy bowler hat, “or is it Your Highness now?”

“Who are you?” Ruby asked, glancing sideways at the others, her brow furrowed and nose crinkled. 

“Roman Torchwick, kingmaker extraordinaire, at your service,” he said, leaning forward on his cane. Ruby noted it was somewhat thicker than canes of that model usually were.

“He’s a smuggler, My Queen,” Arctis said, rolling his eyes. “And many other, less savoury things.” 

Torchwick stage-gasped, placing a hand over his heart. “You wound me, Arctis. I thought we were friends.” 

“I’m just being honest,” Arctis said. ‘“And no, we’re not.”

Torchwick frowned at him, tutting. “But smuggler is such an ugly way to describe my woefully misunderstood line of work.”

“What would you call yourself instead?”

Torchwick grinned impishly. “The people’s servant! They make demands and I deliver.”

“If they pay you.”

“Even servants have to be paid,” Torchwick replied. “I’m not a charity. Besides, it’s only civilized to tip generously after good service.”

“Uh, is there a point to this?” Yang asked, eyes bouncing between the two men. 

“Patience, Goldilocks. We’re getting there,” Torchwick said. “I find things that people don’t want found or people who don’t want to be found, as happens to be the case today.”

Weiss glanced around, doing a silent headcount. “Well, we’re all here.”

Torchwick sighed. “Baby Ice inherited your sharp tongue, Arctis, if not your sharp wit.”

“Baby Ice?” Weiss repeated, brow furrowed. “Not Ice Princess? And hey!”

“Please, that’s too easy. I like to think of myself as having more class than that,” Torchwick said. 

“At least he’s original,” Blake murmured to Yang, who may or may not have been snickering. 

“I try to be, Kitty-Cat.” Torchwick puffed out his chest. “Well, now that you all have your special names, we can get down to business.”

“He doesn’t,” Ruby said, pointing to Arctis. 

Arctis smiled. 

“He already has one, but I’m not allowed to use it,” Torchwick answered. 

“He doesn’t get paid if he says it,” Arctis said. 

“Or how he got the name,” Torchwick added with a wicked grin. Arctis gave him a level stare. “My lips are sealed with the world’s strongest adhesive.”

“Duct tape?” Ruby asked.

“Money. Lots and lots of money.”

“Wow. Did he kill a hooker or something?” Yang wondered, eyes sparkling.

“Sorry Goldilocks. Can’t say,” Torchwick said. 

Yang pouted. “Aww, not even over drinks?” 

“Especially over drinks.” 

Torchwick eyed Arctis who just pursed his lips.

Weiss turned to her father. “He’s not getting paid by the hour, is he? Because he’s been here for five minutes and I still don’t know why.”

“Baby Ice, Baby Ice, you’re giving away the game!” Torchwick said, aghast. “Loosen up a little. Life’s no good if you’re rushing it.” 

“Oh, she can’t,” Yang said. “Trust me, I’ve tried. A lot.”

Arctis sighed. “Let’s get this over with, Torchwick. I’m missing my show because of you.” 

Torchwick pouted, but shrugged. “Very well,” he said, eyeing Ruby. “We need to save your sister.”

“I need to be saved?” Yang asked.

“You probably do, from yourself if nothing else, but I meant the relevant sister,” Torchwick said. 

Yang crossed her arms. “Can I punch him now?” 

“While that would be amusing, I’m afraid we don’t have the time,” Arctis said smoothly.

“Besides, how would you find the sister if you did that?” Torchwick asked. 

“Does the sister have a name?” Weiss asked. 

“Sure she does! It’s...” Torchwick paused and turned to his companion. “Neo, the special effects, if you please?” 

“Ta da!” Torchwick said, gesturing as Neo waved her hands in the shape of a rainbow, the words Cinder Fall glittering in the air. 

“Is that her Semblance?” Ruby asked. 

“Nah, that’s just magic, Red. She also has a trick with a pencil, but you have to look real close to see that one.”

A pencil appeared in between Neo’s hands magically as she showcased it to the girls.

“Not now,” Arctis said, his eyes hard.

Neo frowned, but tucked the pencil back inside her jacket’s inner breast pocket.

“As far as we can tell, Cinder’s being held prisoner here,” Torchwick said, pointing at an empty pocket of air. “I said, here.”

Nothing continued to happen. 

“Arctis, didn’t you have that robot-thingy that did projections?” Torchwick asked. 

Everyone looked at Min-Yon pointedly, finding the yellow disk oddly quiet and the Atlasbots missing, presumably back in the wall. A tiny red light flickered above Min-Yon. 

“Oh, now you run out of power,” Arctis grumbled and began opening drawers at random, scrounging through his things. “Now where did I put his charger…”

“This is awkward,” Yang said. “Not as awkward as watching Ruby and Weiss make out, but it’s up there.”

“Fuck it,” Arctis declared, throwing a stack of papers onto his desk. “We’ll do it live. Here’s a map. Figure it out.” 

Torchwick poked the papers with his cane. “So...anyone know how to use one of these?” 

“I thought these were extinct,” Blake said, frowning. “Like dinosaurs, or good fanfiction.”

“Alas, no,” Arctis said, walking over to his whisky cabinet and pouring himself a stiff drink. “While Torchwick familiarizes himself with that map, there is another matter that we must discuss.”

His eyes fell on Ruby and Weiss, who still stood within a few inches of one another ever since they’d parted from the passionate embrace.

“Since we now know who you are, princess, that means you will need to read this…”

He reached into one of his desk drawers and drew out an ancient scroll of parchment. He rolled it out - and it promptly rolled itself back again. Frowning in annoyance, he used Min-Yon as a paperweight and angled the document to Ruby, right underneath a stray ray of Atlesian sunlight.

“Read this.”

“Uhm. Okay.” 

Ruby bent down over the contract. Her jeans were way tighter now than they’d been that morning. For some reason.

“Sooo... Is this real?” she asked, looking at Arctis. “The House of Schnee shall unite with the Royal Bloodline…”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Let me see,” Weiss said brusquely, pushing Ruby aside and peering down at the scroll. Over the next minute, her gaze tracked down each paragraph in turn, re-reading some of them multiple times, her face getting redder and redder with each passing second.

“Father. What...what is this hogwash?” 

“A matter that is out of our hands, Snowflake.”

“How exactly? When has anything ever been out of our hands? Couldn’t we just ignore it?”

“What? Show me, show me!” Yang said, snatching the paper away from Weiss. Yang had never been a particularly fast reader, but today was a day for exceptions. “Okay, who do I need to punch to make this go away?” Her aura and her eyes reddened, fire spontaneously erupting around her.

“Please don’t burn the contract,” Arctis said. 

Yang growled at him. “Start. Talking.”

“Unfortunately, we can’t do anything. The contract was bound to our family line, awaiting the right conditions. A breach of the contract now would result in your sister’s aura being torn to shreds, at best. In all likelihood, they would both die.”

Yang’s fire sputtered out, her face going pale. She edged a few steps closer to Ruby, probably without even realizing it.

‘Even Weiss doesn’t make Yang’s fire go out that fast,’ Ruby heard Blake say. 

“I’m sure it’ll be okay,” Ruby said. “What do we have to do? Fight some Grimm? Oooh maybe I could get a second scythe. That would be awesome! I’d need a trunk to store it in though...”

“How would your scythe fit in a trunk?” Yang asked.

“Well, it’s magic, see... There’s all sorts of cool stuff you can get nowadays and-”

“We have to get married,” Weiss interrupted.

“Married?” Ruby squeaked, her ears going redder than her hair. It was quite a feat. “Isn’t that for grownups?” 

“Well, historically, Faunus children would get married around the age of fifteen to cement alliances between tribes,” Blake said. “It was a common practice in pre-Grimm human societies too. I read it in Remnant-”

“A History,” Weiss and Yang interrupted. 

“Yes, seriously, we get it,” Yang said. “You read a lot.”

Blake pouted and crossed her arms, ears twitching. 

“D-does it say w-when we have to do it?” Ruby asked. 

“When the sun and moon are in syzygy, with the moon is at the tenth point and the sun is at the second,” Arctis said.

The three girls turned to look at Blake for an explanation. “That makes no sense!”

Torchwick snapped his fingers. “Neo, show them please.”

The ice cream themed girl produced a model of their galaxy. 

“How did that even fit in there?” Weiss asked, raising a brow at her. 

Neo gave her a narrow-eyed glare.

“A magician never reveals her secrets,” Torchwick answered. “Also, she wants you to stop interrupting her act. It’s only polite, you know.”

Neo cleared her throat and set the model on the table, fiddling with the planets. 

“This is the tenth point,” Torchwick said. “And this is the second.”

“Riiight,” Yang said. “Which means...?”

“The third sunday of the next month,” Arctis said.

“What!” Weiss and Yang said together.

“You know, Arctis, with how Baby Ice and Blondie are so in sync, you’d think they were the ones getting married instead,” Torchwick said. 

“Nope,” Yang said quickly.

“Not a chance,” Weiss said, just a moment slower.

“They really, really wouldn’t work,” Blake added.

“Well, I think they might be cute,” Torchwick said, returning his attention to the maps. 

Neo’s hands parted, the letters OTP sparkling in the air. 

Blake glared at her. “No.”

Neo smiled smugly at her, as if to say, “Deal with it.”

“Does anyone know what they’re talking about?” Ruby asked.

“Some things we just don’t ask about, sis,” Yang said. “Like we don’t ask about why you spend some nights in the workshop with Crescent Rose, alone.”

Ruby tilted her head, her luxurious locks flowing to frame her face. “She gets jealous if I don’t.”

“Found her! She’s being held in Dustholde,” Torchwick said. “Roman, you are one smart fellow.” 

“So…we go there, break doors, kick ass and grab this Cinder person?” Yang stretched her arms. “Sounds like a regular weekend to me. When do we leave?” 

“Why do we even need this Cinder?” Weiss asked. “And what does she have to do with our...wedding?”

“Because she’s a princess?” Blake answered. “Isn’t that what you do with princesses in distress?”

“Not in those books you think we don’t know about,” Weiss muttered. “There they do a whole lot of other things.” 

“She’s great at picking out bridal gowns,” Torchwick said. “Aaaand she may or may not be the actual Queen of Vale right now.”

Blake gasped. “You mean she’s…” 

Neo nodded. 

“Okay, seriously, I think they have some telepathic faunus link,” Yang said, leaning to one side and placing hand on hip.

Blake glared at her. “That’s racist.”

“Super racist,” Torchwick agreed. “You can’t just say something like that, Blondie. It’s offensive to the furries. The beasts might rebel against us or something.” 

Arctis cupped his face. “Not this again. Let’s stay on topic, please.” 

“As I was saying,” Torchwick said, “long story short, she wants to abdicate but she was kidnapped before she could. If she doesn’t do it in time, Little Red and Baby Ice can’t get married, then bad things happen.” He paused and in the most serious of voices said, “I don’t get paid.”

“That so isn’t the important thing,” Yang said. “Well, we know where she is. Let’s get her out.” 

“Easy there Blondie. Getting Cinder out of there won’t be a simple matter,” Torchwick said. “Or a cheap one.” He gave the Schnee Patriarch a pointed look.

“Weiss will oversee the finances while you settle this matter,” Arctis said. “You will have everything you need to see it through.”

“Well first I’m going to need an elephant-”

“No,” Weiss said. 

Torchwick frowned. “How about a-”

“No.”

“Arctis, Baby Ice-”

“No,” Weiss repeated. 

“Are you even going to let me-”

“No,” Weiss said. “And before you ask, no.”

“Harsh,” Yang said. 

“Fair.” Weiss nodded. “I take my responsibilities very seriously. Now here’s what we’ll actually need...”

 

-The Heiress-

 

“So, is everyone clear about the plan now?” Weiss asked, looking around.

“Yes!” Yang glared at Weiss as everyone nodded vehemently. “We get it. If I have to listen to you two for another minute, I am going to ax-murder somebody.”

“Umm...” Ruby raised a hand. All heads turned to her. “So… er… what does this Cinder look like?”

Weiss picked up a photo from a folder and Yang’s brows furrowed, showing a striking dark beauty, with brilliant amber eyes not unlike Blake’s.

“She kinda looks like a bitch,” Yang commented under her breath.

“So, where to next?” Blake asked, voice pointedly raised, looking away from Yang.

“We have been at this for a few hours. I’m sure we could all do with a break,” Arctis said. “Shall we agree to meet back here in, say, two hours?”

Weiss nodded.

“I could do with something to eat too,” Yang said, looking at the others. A chorus of nods answered her.

“That sounds agreeable. We’ll reconvene once we’ve had some lunch.”

 

-The Heiress-

 

Weiss led them back through the courtyard with the huge animate grimm and to an elevator. They rode up several floors and ended up in a hallway. 

The Schnee mansion was a series of contradictions. The outer walls were made out of solid rock, polished smooth and gleaming in the light of dust-crystals set into the stone and complemented by bright surfaced walls on the inside. Here and there, Ruby spotted the beginnings of corridors that led to dead ends.

“My family has lived within these mountains for centuries,” Weiss told them proudly. “Ever since the first Grimm appeared, according to the legends. It’s been the duty of each Schnee to maintain and build on the family haven.”

In that sense, the Schnee Mansion was a lot like precious stone. Something rough and hard perfected over time and made magnificent. A work of art that was never truly finished; it was a symbol of the resilience of humanity, of continuous, relentless evolution and the struggle for excellence.

They walked in silence, looking around and admiring how smooth high-arching ceilings, despite the contrast, blended seamlessly into jagged stalactite.

“I could stay here forever,” Ruby said, looking around wistfully.

“You’re probably gonna have to, now that you’re getting married and all,” Yang said, nudging Ruby with her hip as she walked past her.

“Really?! I can stay here? Yay!”

“We are still going back to Beacon once this affair has been settled,” Weiss said, rolling her eyes in equal proportion to both of them.

She moved to the end of the hallway and did her glyph-trick to one of the doors and it slid open with the grating of stone on stone.

Ruby felt her eyes widen at the sight revealed before her. The room was bright and shiny and the walls gleamed as if they had been dusted with snow. Everything in the room was dyed in a combination of white and pale blue with scattered streaks of red. Not a single thing was out of place. It was so… Weiss.

“Wow! This is sooo beautiful! Is this your room?”

As Weiss opened her mouth to reply, Yang whistled. “It really is, Weiss.”

“Thanks,” Weiss said, looking down, her cheeks tinged with a reddish hue. 

“Well,” Yang said, “I’m starving and I think the two lovebirds might want a moment or two to ‘talk things out’. Blake. You in?”

Blake looked up from the book she’d been managing to read while walking, blinking at Yang.

“Food. Yes. That sounds lovely.”

The silence got awkward fast once Yang had led-slash-dragged Blake along for an assault on the cafeteria.

“This is weird,” Ruby muttered, walking past Weiss to get a better look at her room. “All the stuff happening, you know. I never thought it could get much weirder than the grimm and then…”

She shrugged.

Weiss pulled Ruby along and sat down on the bed. “Yes, I know what you mean.”

They sat in silence, Weiss still as a rock and Ruby fidgeting, playing with the hem of her now significantly shorter skirt. 

“We’ll manage,” she said. “We always do.”

Ruby took her partner’s cool, slender fingers in her hand, smiling shyly down at her.

“Would you like to…” Weiss flushed and swallowed, then leaned in close to Ruby’s ear and whispered…

 

-The Heiress-

 

“Man they have good food here.” Yang groaned, bracing her hands on the table to push her weight off her chair. “Do you think they keep beds around here to sleep it off?”

“I think Weiss’ bed might be occupied.”

Yang chortled, thought about it, and then turned to face Blake with an unusually serious expression. “Do you really think Weiss would-?”

Blake shrugged and Yang’s eyes widened.

“Oh man, she’s gonna boink my little sister.”

“Sooner or later.”

“We should probably go back and see what they’re doing. You know, just in case.”

Blake smiled.

“If you’d like,” Blake said. “We’ve only been gone for twenty minutes, though. She probably hasn’t had time to get Ruby out of her corset yet.”

Yang had stopped listening, however, and she pulled Blake along towards the exit.

“Yeah, that’s great. Let’s go.”

They paused outside of the door to Weiss’ chambers and Yang pressed her ear to the smooth wooden surface, listening intently.

There was a screech as something -the bed?- was moved and a hurried, strained whisper. “No, no, not there! Slightly to the left!”

There was a thump. “Ow! The other left!”

“Okay, okay. Stop pushing so hard. It won’t go any further.”

Yang’s eyes were wide in horror. “Please tell me they’re not doing what I think they’re doing.”

Blake put an arm around Yang’s shoulder. Her voice was soft and sympathetic. “You may have to reconcile with the fact that they are humping like rabbit faunus in there.”

The doors slammed open. Blake pushed past Yang and burst through the door into the room. She stared at the scene in front of her. “But… I… but…”

Yang let out a relieved breath as she followed her teammate in. Weiss and Ruby both sat opposite one another on the girl’s giant frickin’ bed, kissing. “D’aww, way to go, Rubes!”

Weiss pulled back with a startled expression making her blue eyes widen. “What are you doing!?” she all but screeched at Yang.

“What are you doing?” Yang shot back. “You’re the one going for second base with my little sister, missy.”

“I am not!” Weiss insisted, jerking her hands back from underneath Ruby’s corset.

“Er… you kinda were,” Ruby said, rubbing the back of her head. “Which was totally fine and all.”

Yang walked over to them and plopped herself down on Weiss’ bed, grinning as she put one arm about the girl’s shoulder. “Sooo, how was it?” 

Weiss’s face became as red dust, made all the more obvious by the contrast with her normally pale skin. She straightened up, trying, but failing, to keep up her usual haughtiness. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.” 

“Awww.” Yang poked the Heiress. “Come on.” 

Blake’s eyes glinted with mischief. “Yeah. Were they as perky as they look?”

Weiss threw her hands up in despair. “I don’t know, go feel for yourself!”

“Does this mean you don’t mind sharing?” Yang asked, wiggling her eyebrows. 

“She’s your sister!”

“That’s not a no.” 

“Ugh!” Weiss stormed out.

“Weiss?” Ruby asked, standing up.

“So, Ruby, care to share?” Yang asked, turning to her sister.

“Yaaaaang!” 

 

-The Heiress-

 

“I’m not sure that’ll fit,” Ruby said, looking at the top Yang had presented her with.

“Oh, it’ll fit,” Yang assured her. “Might be a bit snug, but that’s the point.”

“Not everyone aspires to dress like a streetwalker, Yang,” Weiss said tartly. 

“Stop complaining, Weiss. This is for you as much as it is for Ruby,” Yang said. 

Weiss rolled her eyes.

“I happen to like her the way she is,” she said.

“Isn’t that just adorable?” Torchwick said, pushing open the door of the little shop they were in. “Baby Ice is in love.”

“What are you doing here?” Blake asked.

“I,” he said, “have a better plan to save the Princess, Kitty-Cat. Now all I need is is for you to run a few errands in town and get me…” He paused to think it through, then said: “Fourteen yards of rope, three hundred grams of Premium Red ‘Crymson’ dust, three bottles of vodka, a boombox and one dire penguin.”

“A...dire penguin? What are you playing at, Torchwick?” Weiss repeated. 

“Not to be confused with regular penguins,” Torchwick continued, as if she hadn’t spoken.

Weiss massaged her temples as if to ward off a headache. “Of course.”

Torchwick walked up to Ruby, put an arm around her shoulders and said in an between-us-girls tone of voice, “By the way, get the white top. It’ll look smashing with your hair.” 

Ruby glared at him, then checked on the aforementioned top. Torchwick might have a point.

“Okay, fine, but I still want a new corset!” Ruby turned around and walked off to try it out. 

 

-The Heiress-

 

“Ruby.”

“Yeah Weiss?” 

“Why do you have two scythes now?” 

Ruby made a “whooshing” sound as she drew figures of eight in the air. “Crescent Rose was getting lonely, so I got her a friend.” 

She hugged the scythe, with its pitch black haft and charcoal gray blade, cooing softly to it.

“Weiss is a meanie who doesn’t understand anything,” she assured Ebony Darkness. “Such a pretty wittle thing, yes you are, yes you are.”

“How long do you think it takes before she tries to convince Weiss to bring the scythes into the bedroom?” Blake whispered.

Yang considered the question. “I bet you she already has!”

Torchwick scratched at his cheek, a disturbed look on his face. “You are all profoundly fucked up. Did you know that?”

“And yet, you’re the only one who’s a criminal here!” Yang said. 

“Allegedly, Goldilocks. Allegedly.” 

“You’re also allegedly a jerk. No wait…”

Torchwick smirked at her.

-The Heiress-

Torchwick panted. Despite his best efforts, the trunk had not moved an inch. “Jeez, Little Red, what did you put in this thing?” 

“Wimp,” Yang quipped, lifting it up with one hand. She smirked at him and stowed it into the airship. 

By the time they had reached their destination, Ruby had fallen asleep on Weiss’ thighs and she made a soft whining noise when Yang shook her awake.

“We’re here, sweetie,” she whispered.

Ruby blinked her eyes open and shot to her feet.

“Alright, team RWBY!” She caught a significant glance from Torchwick. “Aaand the other person also here but not on team RWBY. Let’s kick butt!”

The doors at the back of the ship slid open and Ruby jumped out, almost floating down the half dozen feet to the ground. Boots thudded onto the ground as the rest of her team landed behind her and began to move.

Ahead of them, a large castle loomed. It was square-shaped and cut from the same rock as the mountain it stood upon, blending seamlessly. The evening sun left a blood-red stain gleaming on the tall crenelated towers that the points of each corner. A pair of enormous wooden double-doors blocked their path. With a fierce battle cry, Yang pulled her arm back and lashed out, pulverizing it.

The dust slowly settled and they all stared in a mix of horror and confusion at the sight before them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What pet should Ruby get?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating changed for this chapter.

Ruby took in the scene with wide eyes. From the corner of her eye, she could see an equally surprised Yang mouth the words ‘What the’... And then a bad word.

They were standing in front of a large courtyard that had clearly been carved out of the rock and polished smooth, with veins of marble sparkling here and there. A large swimming pool was set in the middle of the area, with chairs and parasols around it, and the smell of barbecue wafted through the air.

She noticed a young man in a maroon uniform hurrying away deeper into the castle and tracked his progress until she spotted someone else. Someone familiar. Sorta.

On a little floaty plastic mattress in the middle of the pool, donning a black skimpy bikini and holding a fruity looking drink in one land, was Cinder.

Her hair was long and black as the darkest hours of the night, her eyes an eerie glowing amber and she was built with the lean grace of a panther.

Weiss rounded on Torchwick. “You! I am glad we spared no expenses acquiring your services. It was clearly worth every single lien.”

Torchwick gave an exaggerated bow. “Glad to be of service, my lady.”

Ruby looked up to find Cinder observing her, shades sliding down half an inch down her nose to expose a raised eyebrow. A small smirk twitched at the corner of her mouth.

Weiss gave Torchwick a look of pure disgust, hands at her hip in her most Weissiest way.

“You said you knew her so go talk to her!” Ruby said to Torchwick, then lowered her voice and continued. “Before Yang does.”

Torchwick stepped forward with a dramatic sigh. 

“Cinder, dear,” he said. “How nice to see you again. Looking lovely as ever, I see.” Torchwick strutted forward and offered his hand from the edge of the pool.

With a smirk she held her hand out for him to take. Torchwick leaned further in and grabbed it, avoiding looking at her prominent cleavage like a proper gentleman. Ruby wasn’t sure how he managed that, ‘cos she sure didn’t.

“You got me?” she purred, her tone sensuous, earning an obvious set of head bobs that barely counted as nods. “Good.”

“Whoa!” It was all that came out of his mouth before she yanked at his hand and pulled him, pimp-cane and all, down into the pool.

“Even your splashes are small.” The dark haired beauty giggled and took two strong, elegant back strokes to the steps of the pool.

Cinder emerged from the water like the mermaid out of the story books, looking every bit as seductive and dangerous too. Droplets of water trickled their way down along her skin in a loving caress and had the fabric of her bikini stretched taut along her curves.

She shook her head left and right, dark locks fanning out in a wild, gorgeous mane that remained silky and shiny despite the chlorine - way unfair - and her hips swayed hypnotically as she approached, drawing all of their gazes.

Yang leered. “Damn, babe, you’re hot!”

Ruby failed to hide the slight blush that crept up her cheeks. Cinder really was quite hot.

“You are such a pig, Yang,” Weiss muttered.

Cinder walked past Yang, running a single finger up along her throat to her chin.

“I know, dear. Now be quiet while the adults have a little chat.”

She walked past the group, paying them no heed, settling on her haunches by the poolside,

“Torchwick! Which rich fool have you ingratiated yourself with this time?” 

The thief stood in the pool and leaned back against the edge, seemingly without a care in the world. He turned to look at Cinder over his shoulder.

“Arctis Schnee,” he said. “He wanted to find you to discuss the matter of succession… among other things.”

Cinder’s tone betrayed nothing, though there was a certain tenseness to her now, a slight, but sure shift in mood. “Does he now?”

They exchanged a look that seemed to convey a lot of words without any ever actually being spoken. 

Ruby walked over to them, each step hesitant. “Hey big sis!” she said. 

Cinder held up a single finger in a gesture of warning to Torchwick and accomplished what nobody else ever had. The man shut up. She turned towards Ruby, head tilted sideways.  
“Sister?”

“Um… yes? I mean, we’re half sisters, because we have different moms, but the same dad, I think, and I didn’t even know you existed till a few days ago, so…”

Cinder raised an eyebrow. Yang came up beside Ruby and threw one arm around her shoulder.

“What the little dummy is trying to say is: She’s happy to meet you!”

“Well, isn’t that lovely?” Torchwick said, pushing himself up out of the pool. “Shall we get things back on topic and save the group hugs for later?”

“I cannot believe I’m saying this, but he does have a point,” Weiss said with a scowl. “We should leave immediately.”

“And why, pray tell, should I go anywhere?” Cinder asked.

“Because we’re asking really nicely?” Yang tried. “And uh - we need your help.”

Cinder stared at her, eyes shining with uncomfortable intensity. Then, after several moments of silence, said, “Very well. I was rather bored here in any case. Where to?”

“Casa Schnee,” Torchwick said, with an elaborate flourish of his hat. “After you, ladies.”

“Excuse me,” said a pompous voice from behind them. The young man who had run off earlier had returned with another, middle-age man with a comb-over, an expensive, ill-fitting suit. “Miss Fall,” he continued, wheezing slightly. “It seems there has been some damage done to the property. I must insist that your… friends pay for the damages caused.”

Cinder rolled her eyes and walked off. 

The manager blinked and turned on Weiss.

Weiss crinkled her nose in distaste and followed Cinder.

“Now hear, young lady. You can’t just kick down the door and not-”

He rounded on Torchwick, who hooked a thumb in Yang’s direction.

“Ask the bombshell. She’s the one you want.”

“Hell no!” Yang said, pushing past both men.

Blake stepped forward and plucked the notepad the man carried in his breast pocket. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching and then scribbled down Torchwick’s full name and scroll number, winked, and stuck the notepad back into his pocket.

“Shall we?”

Ruby nodded and Blake hooked her arm around Ruby’s and led her out of the resort.

***

“I hereby call this meeting into order.”

“No you don’t, Torchwick,” Weiss said through clench teeth. “You sit in the corner, without speaking, until spoken to.”

They had all crowded into her father’s office again.

“Good, you’re all here,” Arctis said, walking into the office and settling into his chair behind the desk. “I see you were successful.”

Cinder, who had stood leaned up against the wall in the corner, being all sultry and mysterious, stepped forward and walked up to the center of the room.

“No thanks to that doofus,” Yang said, glaring at Torchwick.

“Hey, I take offense at-”

“At any rate,” Arctis continued, talking across him. “I would like to welcome you to to Atlas, Miss Fall. We have some business to take care of.”

“So I’ve been told,” Cinder said.

“I’ll get right to the point,” the Schnee patriarch said. “We need your blessing to legally proceed with Ruby’s and Weiss’ wedding.”

He took out a folder and flipped it open, revealing a legal document of some sort.

“Please sign here, here and… here.”

Cinder didn’t move.

“Before I sign anything, I want to know what’s going on.”

“Long story short,” Yang said. “Prophecy. Ruby and Weiss gotta tie the knot or they die, so you’re either going to sign that now or after I’ve punched you a bit.”

Cinder’s teeth flashed in a grin and she turned to fully face Yang. “I’m not about to let our sister die, but I would like to see you try.”

Yang took a step but Blake put a hand out to stop her. “Don’t let her goad you.”

“Fine, fine,” Yang complained. “I’ll play nice for now.”

“I will sign,” Cinder said. “But in doing so, I will make enemies. I will need your assurance that I will have you in my corner, if it comes to that.”

“What kind of enemies?” Weiss said.

“The bad kind.”

“Aren’t all enemies kinda bad?” Ruby wondered.

Yang shrugged. “Well, there’s Torchwick.”

“That’s what I was saying.”

“You have my word,” Arctis said, holding out an old fashioned fountain pen to Cinder. “Now, please sign.”

Cinder considered him intently for a moment, then accepted the pen and scribbled her initial on the parchment.

“Oh goodie! Now that that’s done, let’s go shopping.” Yang said.

Blake groaned. “Again?”

“Yup!”

***

“How long is this going to take again?!” Ruby moaned, as if in actual physical pain, as her friends started up… again!

“Until we find the perfect dress,” Yang said, examining a dress so skimpy it made Ruby consider running for the door.

They were in one of the premier wedding dress stores in Atlas and, according to Weiss, in all of Remnant. The moment Weiss had shown up, they had been shown to the executive changing rooms, which was the size of their old dorm at Beacon. 

“White is traditional,” Weiss insisted. Again.

“It’s hardly a traditional wedding, though,” Blake said, barely visible behind her book.

“This is the one,” Cinder said over her own choice, earning a glare from Yang.

“No, this one is!” Both women held their dresses up in front of Ruby, shoving their choices in her face, “Which is better?”

They all stared expectantly at Ruby, who shrank in on herself under the weight of their gazes.

“White would look real pretty on Weiss,” she squeaked. “And that’s kinda important, right? Cos the bridesmaids aren’t supposed to look prettier than the bride and all.”

“That might be a problem, sis,” Yang said with a wide grin.

Weiss gave her a withering look.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, I’m just saying,” Yang said, twirling on the spot with a knowing smirk.

“You’re an eight, at best,” Weiss said.

Cinder inclined her head in agreement.

“Um… Guys,” Ruby said. “Maybe we shouldn’t-”

“AN EIGHT!?” Golden locks began to smoke.

“That’s with make-up,” Cinder added.

Yang’s glare shifted from both of them in turn. Then she withdrew her wallet and with a theatrical “oopsie” dropped it to the ground. A dramatic pause, and she bent over to pick it up.

On the street outside, a guy walked into a pole with a hollow ‘thunk’.

The girls just stared. Blake’s book slipped out of her slackened fingers and onto the floor.

Yang nodded in satisfaction.

“I think that proves my point.”

“It proves that you have impressive… Assets,” Weiss said, glaring at said assets. “But Ruby’s are better.”

“What?” Ruby and Yang exclaimed at the same time, with varying levels of intensity… and volume.

Judging by Yang’s tone and the heat literally rolling off her in waves, things were about to escalate. She needed something to ease the tension.

“How about you compare and we settle the matter once and for all?” Blake said. 

Something that wasn’t that.

“Fine,” Yang said immediately. “I’m game.”

“I’d be amenable to an impartial judge in the assessment if you are.” Weiss said.

“A thorough assessment,” Blake interjected.

“Umm... don’t I get a say in this?” Ruby asked.

“We’re all girls here,” Blake said softly. She already had a notepad out and was scribbling furiously.

Ruby felt heat creep up her neck and settle in a flush at her cheeks.

“Okay, I guess…”

“How do we do this?” Weiss asked.

“Quite simple,” Blake said. “We’ll do this in three stages, one for each category...”

“Categories?” Yang asked, eyebrows rising.

“Yes. Cup size, perkiness and feel. Things like that.”

“Feel!” Ruby squeaked. “What do you mean feel?”

Yang held out both hands in front of Ruby’s chest, waggling her fingers in a demonstrative fashion.

“Well, the feel is an important part of overall assessment,” Blake replied.

“My turn!” Yang cut her off, already having unbuttoned her coat and dug her fingers underneath the hem of her tank top. “I’ll go first!”

“Wait, wait!” Ruby said.

The underside of Yang’s bra already peeked out from under her top by the time she complied.

“What’s up, sis?”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ruby fidgeted with the hem of her dress. “You don’t have to.”

Yang laughed. “Yeah, ‘course.”

Ruby looked around. Weiss shrugged, but the corner of her mouth was twitching up into a shy smile. Cinder… Had apparently left at some point, without any of them noticing.

She pulled the top over her head and threw it at Blake. Blake caught the top.

“I’ll treasure this,” she said with a perfectly straight face.

Yang shrugged and took off her bra, throwing it as well. “You can keep this too!”

“Oh. Oh my,” Weiss murmured as Yang’s bra fell to the ground.

Her breasts were fabulous. There was no other analogy that could possibly apply because the sheer awesomeness. They were reminiscent of an extra large scoop of honeydew ice cream -- round and large, and sorta lickable. 

“Nice, huh?” Yang said, arching her back with a downright dirty grin.

Ruby hid her face in her hands.

Yang walked up to her and gave her a hug, which was more uncomfortable than comforting under the circumstances..

“Umm… I guess I can’t compete with that, but it’s my turn, isn’t it?”

Yang put a finger under her chin, nudging her gaze up from the ground.

“You’re beautiful, okay? Maybe not quite as hot as big sis, but still plenty hot. Don’t you worry.” 

Ruby nodded. Her fingers trembled as she undid the buckle of her cape, letting the soft red cloth flow to the ground. She paused for a moment and drew a nervous breath before going for the complicated set of straps and strings keeping her corset in place. Slowly, with shaky fingers, she tugged the knot that kept them together. 

“Get on with it,” Weiss said, brimming with impatience.

Ruby glared at Weiss, but couldn’t hold it for long. “Umm... okay.” 

She looked down, took a deep breath and quickly unhooked her bra.

There was a collective intake of breaths as the garment fell to the floor, followed by an awed silence.

“Lucky you, Weiss,” Blake said as Ruby’s breasts finished their jiggling several long moments later.

“So… uh...” Ruby said. “What now?”

“Now we compare,” Blake supplied. “Well, you two compare, and we come to a decision.”

“I think what she’s asking is ‘how’,” Yang said.

Blake rubbed her hands together and grinned.

“Just leave that to me.”

Blake walked over to them, one measured step at a time, hips swaying in a fashion that might have been tantalizing for anyone behind her. The drool running down Weiss’ chin suggested that it probably was.

Blake put one hand on Ruby’s shoulder, then one on Yang’s, nudging them forward until they stood front to front, pressing their breasts together. She took a step back, and stood there for a moment, a glassy sheen to her eyes.

Next she made them both face her, touching each of them in turn, being very thorough in her examination. Finally, she stepped back, and said.

“Uh… I don’t know. I think it’s a tie. We may have to go to the elimination round or something. Unless you’d-”

“No, no, that’s…” Weiss’ cheeks were spotted with pink. “Blake is completely correct. It is definitely a tie.”

“It doesn’t hurt to be sure, I guess?” Ruby said softly, looking down. “But if I’m gonna be naked so are all of you.

“And I’m going to prove once and for all, that I’m the hottest,” Yang declared.

Weiss rolled her eyes.

“If I am a part of the competition you stand no chance.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it, snowcone.”

Weiss snarled something incoherent and began to pull her own clothes off with unnecessary aggression, each garment thrown aside to bare pale skin flushed red with anger. She tugged at the sides of her underwear, clearly about to pull them down when the door to the changing room was pushed open.

Cinder stood there, staring.

“I was gone for less than half an hour. What the fuck?”

***

“Ohmygosh you look so pretty!” Yang squealed when Ruby walked out the bedroom, changed and ready.

She made to walk up and wrap Ruby in one of her Bear Hugs, trademark pending, but stopped herself, and instead gently pushed the veil hanging across Ruby’s face aside, running a finger along her cheek.

“Do you feel ready?” She asked.

Ruby didn’t. She so didn’t. She still wasn’t sure if she was going to keep her lunch down or break down and start crying, she was so nervous.

“I… I don’t know. I wanna do it but... It’s scary, you know?”

Yang wrapped her up in a gentle hug, creased be damned.

“I know but it’ll get better and Weiss is going to be nice to you or I’m kicking her skinny ass down every single staircase at Beacon.”

“Thanks, sis.”

The music started up outside of the door.

“It’s time,” Yang said, taking Ruby’s hand in hers. “Don’t worry. Tonight, you’ll get to bang Weiss.”

***

Ruby flushed and looked around at the swan ice statues that struck various poses throughout the room. There was even a lovely statue of a nevermore with wings spread over the altar.

Weiss had insisted.

The only thing that wasn’t white in the room was the plush, red carpet that glittered like snow, only bloody. Weiss stepped out with her father, managing to overshadow everyone in the room.

Weiss had insisted.

Ruby couldn’t resist the smile that tugged at her lips when they made eye contact. Weiss was blushing! Her lips were red with lipstick, although Ruby would swear on her scythe that Weiss didn’t need it.

But she had insisted.

The way that the the dress she wore flowed around her, the way that she seemed to glide over the carpet… Ruby couldn’t help but think of her as a glacier gliding over a blood red sea. The priest cleared his throat and Ruby realized she’d probably been staring. Oops.

“Dearly beloved,” The old man serving as their priest began, “We are gathered here today to join this couple in matrimony…”

Ruby gave Weiss a shy smile and reached out, taking her gloved hands. Weiss’s fingers shook but she still smiled back.

“Love is a funny thing,” he said, smiling at both of them. “Often found where one might least expect it.”

Weiss squeezed Ruby’s hand. There was something really tender to the gesture and the look on her face. And the priest prattled on…

“But the love you share is evident for all those present here today and-”

There was a deafening explosion and the window above the altar was blasted inwards, shattering glass and ice everywhere. There were shouts and screams from the crowd as scores of ninjas, decked out from head to toe in black, descended from above with drawn swords.

Before Ruby could even react, the priest moved, pushing both her and Weiss down to the ground and turned around in one swoop, pulling out a crucifix shotgun from under his frock. He pointed the weapon at the intruders and pulled the trigger, shattering stone and ice as he send blast after blast at them.

The traditional doves had escaped and were fluttering around the church- And someone nudged Ruby sharply in the ribs, sharply bringing her back to reality.

“Uh. I do!”

Weiss and the priest both stared at her. Yang seemed to be trying to hide a smile.

“I’m afraid we haven’t quite gotten to that part yet, Miss Rose,” the priest said kindly. “Now… If anyone objects to this union, let them speak now or forever hold their-”

Somewhere at the back of the crowd a man cleared his throat loudly and obnoxiously.

Ruby craned her neck, trying to see, as a man stepped forward. His hair was grey but his face remained youthful. Ozpin.

“I’m afraid I have to step in here with a reminder,” he said, eyes twinkling as he walked down the aisle. “That neither of the… Brides… Are of the age of majority and as such, should not be allowed to marry.”

Arctis stepped in between Ozpin and them.

“You will find, Oz, that Atlesian Law works differently.”

“Indeed,” Ozpin said, still smiling. “In Atlas. In Vale, however, this union would not be recognized. Officially, of course.”

Cinder rose from her seat at the front row and stalked up to Ozpin, amber eyes flashing.

“Hello there… Headmaster. It’s been a long time since I last… Saw you.”

Ozpin’s smile twisted into something unpleasant for a short moment.

“Hello, my dear. I see you’ve finally stepped up to your responsibilities. We simply must catch up sometime.” 

They didn’t speak any further but something was exchanged in the intense stare-off they had. Then Ozpin nodded cordially, turned on his heel, and walked off.

There was a moment’s silence. 

“Um, what just happened?” Ruby asked.

“I don’t know,” Weiss said. “Probably nothing to worry about.”

She took a step forward, stripped the glove off her hand and touched Ruby’s fever-hot cheek with her cool fingers.

“If you wouldn’t mind getting on with it, sir,” she said, looking sideways at the priest. “I’d like to kiss the bride.”

“Ah. Yes. Weiss Schnee. Do you take Ruby Rose-?”

“I do.”

“And Ruby Rose, do you-”

“Totally.”

Weiss lips were cool and sweet. Sort of like a nice ice-lolly on a warm summer’s day… And then Weiss’ tongue darted forward and the kiss was suddenly way, way more awesome… And probably inappropriate. Ruby didn’t care.

People cheered. Yang whooped loudly. Someone - probably Blake, wolf-whistled Ruby really wished she’d teach her that trick. Torchwick was bawling his eyes out into a handkerchief at the far back of the room.

“I hereby pronounce you wife and - uh - wife. You may uh - continue - to kiss the bride.”

***

“Are you ready?”

Weiss sat in her - well, their - bed. She’d gotten undressed down to her underwear and had helped Ruby do the same. After that, though, she’d lost her nerve and now they sat there, staring at one another.

“Yeah,” Ruby said. “Do you want me to get naked first or will you..?”

Weiss swallowed. “Uhm… Yes. I can do it. It’s fine. Are you sure-?”

Ruby smiled and kissed her gently.

“Yeah. I’m sure.”

Weiss gave a nervous smile and they kissed again. Weiss pulled back and reached behind her back and undid the clasps of her flirty, black bra and was just about to let it fall onto the sheets when-

“Sorry! I think I left something here.” 

Ruby turned around to see Blake and wondered when she’d come in. “Umm…”

The faunus girl seemed entirely unperturbed by what she’d walked in on, though.

“Oh. I guess I caught you at a bad time.”

“You think?” Weiss asked acerbically. “What tipped you off?”

Blake shrugged. “It’s been over an hour. I thought you’d be done by now.” She gave Ruby a mildly concerned look. “Somebody’s taught you about the birds and the bees, right?”

Ruby hadn’t thought her face could go any redder without exploding, but she’d been wrong.

“Yeah. Yang told me… Though that was birds and bees, not two -” Ruby frowned. “ Are we birds or bees, Weiss?”

Weiss looked completely lost. “Bird or… I - I don’t know, Ruby! What does that matter? And why are you still here, Blake?”

“Well… You guys obviously need a hand here,” Blake said. “Come here and I’ll show you.”

***

“Hey, have you guys seen Bla- Holy crap!” Yang stood wide-eyed in the open door, staring in. “Wow. I guess the carpet does match the drapes, eh Weiss?”

“Close the fucking door!” Weiss snarled.

Yang blinked, then she did as she’d been told. Without walking out first.

“Okay,” she said, sounding a bit numb. “Oh, hey Blake. There you are. Why…?”

She looked like she’d seen a ghost. Both Ruby and Weiss were naked and Weiss had not seen fit to stop what she’d been doing… And her fingers were really soft, except for the callouses where she held Myrtenaster and that was just… Very awesome.

Blake sat in a chair at the foot of the bed, fully dressed, but also quite busy.

***

Some indeterminate amount of time later, the door once more slammed open and an irate Cinder appeared.

“It sounds like somebody is fucking dying in here - what are you doing!?” She stopped in her tracks and stared at their feats of sexual athleticism. She had to speak loudly to be heard over Weiss’ cries.

“You all have issues.”


End file.
